Broadly speaking, a virtual machine (VM) is a sandbox that tricks one operating system into running inside another. Setup requires a more-than-entry-level PC, since you'll be running two resource-hungry OSes at once. But a virtual machine is well worth the effort, because it means fewer headaches than fully upgrading to beta software or running a second version of Windows on a drive partition. Also, if a VM gets a virus or starts acting weird, you can just delete it and reinstall, assuming it doesn't contain any important data. There are a number of virtual machine apps you can choose from, but for simplicity's sake, this tutorial sticks to VirtualBox. What you need: 1. 2. 3. 50GB or more of free space on your PC. 4. Step 1: Verify virtual machine support Oddly, your CPU's virtualization features are often disabled by default.
Best free file backup, drive backup (aka imaging), and system backup software.

Nowadays, computers are quite the keys to our kingdoms.

While I’m sure it varies from person to person (and age group to age group), many people have critical data on their computers which, if lost, would be hurtful at best and devastating at worst. So it is always a good idea to make regular backups of your data to keep your data safe. To make those backups, you can spend roughly $50 purchasing a shareware backup program… or you can read this article to learn about the best free file, drive, and system backup programs. Yeah, you heard it — based on your feedback, our own research, and diligent testing, we have reviewed the best free backup programs out there for Windows and compiled a list of notable backup programs which you can use to backup your data and stay safe in case of a disaster.

Keep reading to learn more! This review is part of our Best Free Windows Software section. There is one thing I would like to clarify before we begin. That said, let’s begin… Recovery Media Pros Cons. Making the change from iPhone to Android as easy as possible. Is iOS starting to feel a bit stale for your taste?

It's something I'm hearing more and more as I talk to iOS users, or former iOS users.
Sticking with Windows XP? Here are your options. If you're a Windows XP stalwart, you may decide to stick with Windows XP, even after Microsoft officially ends support.

Scott Lowe discusses some of your options for making things work with what you have. If you're still running Windows XP in your organization, you're probably painfully aware of the pending end of support for the venerable -- but wildly popular -- Windows XP operating system. Released in 2001, Windows XP was originally dismissed as a "play toy," thanks to an interface that people compared to Fisher Price products.

But with a couple of rock solid service packs, XP became the real workhorse of the enterprise. And then along came Vista. Next came Windows 7. And today, Windows 8 has been largely written off as a debacle, much like Vista. Economics of an upgrade From a pure economics perspective, sticking with Windows XP would almost seem like a no-brainer.
Essential free software you can't afford to miss. Free doesn’t have to mean cheesy, especially when it comes to freeware. A developer’s passion project can become something you can’t imagine being without, and the fact that you don’t have to lay out any cash to acquire it is a major bonus.

Some developers accept donations to further development, so consider giving what you can if you find value in their efforts. Here are some of our favorite freebies. Please tell us about yours in the comments section. Security It’s imperative to secure your PC against the nasty stuff it will encounter on the open seas of the Web. The free version of Malwarebytes is excellent. Microsoft Security Essentials or AVG AntiVirus Free Edition are other good, no-cost options. Passwords are a hassle to remember, so many people memorize just one and use it for everything. Utilities File-archiving utilities make big files smaller and easier to manage, and there’s code for creating those archives—and opening existing ones—right inside Windows.
Steve Guttenberg (AudiophiliacMan)
9 free tools that make Windows much better. Windows is packed to the rafters with features, many of them great—and others, just meh.

Luckily, there are free alternatives that are more powerful, more efficient, and take only minutes to install. Read on, and we’ll show you 9 built-in features of Windows that aren’t up to snuff, and the free software you can use to replace them. Search The search functionality in Windows 8 is fast and well-integrated with the new Start Screen. Still, the Start Screen search isn’t perfect: It can’t find files that aren’t executables or documents. “Everything” is an indexed search utility that lets you search through every single file on your system, practically instantly. File Transfer It’s ironic that one of the simplest things you do in Windows can be one of the most frustrating.